Charlotte Michelle Taylor was born in New Milton, Hampshire on 2nd February 1994 and is a right handed better and right arm off spin bowler.
Taylor made her debut for Hampshire in 2010, aged 16, where she began her career as a batter, playing club cricket first for New Milton then Hursley Park.
She was part of the Hampshire side that were promoted to Division Two of the Women’s County Championship in 2015, and she took 15 wickets for Fernhill CC in the same year.
Two years later, and Taylor would suffer a cruciate ligament tear and she couldn’t play for two years.
After injury, ‘Tayz’ focused more on her bowling and was called up to the Southern Vipers in 2020.
She was initially asked by BBC Radio Solent to commentator on the Vipers’ match against South East Stars after testing negative for COVID-19, only to be picked in the playing XI and take 2-13 from seven overs.
Two matches later, she took 4-41 against Western Storm to help the Vipers to a 32-run win, before she became the hero of the final.
Taylor took 6-34 against Northern Diamonds to take the Player of the Match award as the Vipers won the first ever Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy by 38 runs, and Taylor held the record for the best figures in the RHFT until 16th July 2022 when another spinner, Thunder’s Alex Hartley, took 6-24.
She backed up her 2020 season as leading wicket taker by heading up the Vipers’ wicket charts in 2021, with 13 wickets in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy – one more than captain Georgia Adams and the third most in the whole tournament.
She was signed by Southern Brave in the 2021 Hundred and took one wicket in three matches, but wasn’t retained for the 2022 season.
Once again, Taylor was impressive in the 50-over competition, as she took nine wickets in the 2022 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, with best figures of 3-31 against Lightning – the third best for the Vipers in the competition.
Taylor also became a more regular commentator on BBC Solent, getting behind the microphone for both Hampshire and Southern Vipers matches.
In April 2023, Taylor was awarded a professional contract for the first time, a calf injury set back most of her season and she only featured once, against South East Stars.
Charlotte Taylor in Numbers:
- Matches: 29
- Wickets: 46
- Bowling Average: 18.30
- Best Bowling: 6-34 (v Northern Diamonds, RHFT, 2020)
- Economy: 3.97
